Packaging machine



Nov. 18, 1958 R. F. HARTWIG 2,860,463

PACKAGING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 18, 1958 R. F. HARTWIG PACKAGING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 26, 1957 bmf RAN

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@N o A 1H QN m M /m United States Patent O PACKAGING MACHINE Richard F. Hartwig, Chicago, lil.

Application September 26, 1957, Serial No. 686,416

8 Claims. (Cl. 53--76) This invention relates generally to packaging machines, and has particular reference to the wrapping of meat or other comestibles with a heat sealed transparent film.

Modern merchandising methods have given rise to the packaging of meat and other foods in transparent wrappers, so that the freshness and the quality of the contents of the package can readily be observed by the purchaser. The invention herein is described with reference to the packaging of meats, and in the instance here the meat is first placed upon a tray or boat, it then being placed upside down over a sheet of transparent heat sealing material, folded over corners being then heat sealed along the bottom of the boat. Thereafter the protruding end aps resulting from the initial wrapping operation are moved past an opening into which a strong current moves, the moving current of air deflecting an end ap downward. The continued movement of the partially formed package over a hot plate completes the heat sealing of the pulled and folded down liap against the bottom of.

the boat. Thereafter, the other liap may be treated in a like manner so that there results a finished package with the iiaps all sealed to the bottom of the tray or boat.

In one form of the invention a pair of such hot plates may be employed, and the partially prepared package oriented through 180 where it goes over a second suction opening and a second hot plate to complete the packaging operation.

With the foregoing considerations in mind it is a principal object of the invention to provide a machine for packaging meat or other comestibles in such a fashion that the product can be viewed by the purchaser.

Another object is to provide a simple mechanism for turning down and sealing the end flaps of a partially prepared package wrapped in a heat sealed ilm.

Other objects and important features of the invention will be apparent from a study of the following specication taken with the drawings which together describe and illustrate a number of preferred embodiments of the invention and what are now considered to be the best modes of practicing the principles thereof. Other embodiments may be suggested to those having the benefit of the teachings herein, and such other embodiments are intended to be reserved especially as they fall within the scope and spirit of the subjoined claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective View of a boat filled with ground meat or other comestible, said boat being wrapped in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the boat in an upside down position on a sheet of transparent heat sealable material;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the sheet material of Fig. 2 folded diagonally over the bottom of the boat and heat sealed in position thereover;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a packaging machine for acting upon the partly prepared package of Fig. 3, said machine being constructed according to one embodiment of the invention;

2,860,463 Patented Nov. 18, 1958 Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane 55 indicated in Fig. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a detail vertical sectional view showing the partly prepared package moved to a position adjacent an air opening in the machine seen in Fig. 4, and showing how an end flap of the partly prepared package is pulled down into the opening by the current of air moving at said opening;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, but showing the partly prepared package moving past the air opening and onto a hot surface where the end ap is heat sealed to the bottom of the boat; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a machine according to another embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, the apparatus according to the present invention is especially adapted for use in wrapping a boat 10 lled with a quantity of comestibles 11, such as ground meat or the like. After thus being filled the boat 10 has a sheet 12 of thermoplastic transparent material placed over the top of the contents 11, the boat 10 then turned over and placed upon the sheet 12. Thereafter, opposite diagonal corners 13 and 14 of the sheet 12 are folded over the lboat 10 as seen in Fig. 3, and are sealed together by a hot iron or other sealing tool, not shown.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, there is shown a table 16 mounted upon supports 17. The partly wrapped boat, now referred to by the reference numeral 15 is placed in position on the table 16 in the manner shown and moved past an air opening 18, the `air moving therethrough pulling down an end flap 19 of the partly prepared package 15. Thereafter the partly prepared package moves past the opening 18 and to a hot plate or surface 21 having its heating surface in the plane of the table 16. As the partly prepared package 16 moves past the suction opening 18 the flap 19 is folded beneath the partly prepared package 15 as seen in Figs. 6 and 7.

The movement slowly across the hot surface 21 is suiiicient to seal the thermoplastic film against the already sealed opposite end corners 13 and 14, seen in Figs. 2 and 3, and after being so-sealed at the hot plate 21 the partly prepared package continues to move to the left past a switch 22 controlling the movement of a current of air at a second air opening 23.

The partly prepared package moves past the air opening 23 to the dotted line position seen in Fig. 4, a second end iiap 24 thereof being in a position corresponding to the flap 19 seen at the start of the operation, so that upon reverse movement of the partly prepared package 15, again past the air opening 23 and thence to the hot surface 21 the end iiap 24 will be folded against the bottom of boat 1l) and sealed against the other already sealed flap 19.

Means are provided for controlling the movement of the air at the openings 18 and 23 and for controlling the operation of the hot plate 21. As seen in Fig. 5, a pair of leads 26and 27 are connected to a source of power, a switch 28 being interposed in the leads 26 and 27. A heating element 29 of hot plate 21 is connected across power leads 26 and 27 by leads 31 and 32.

Each of the air openings 18 and 23 is selectively connected by ducts 32 and 33 to a positive displacement fan 34. A gate 36 connected to an arm 37 is pivotally mounted at 38, and adopts a position whereby air opening 18 is directly connected to the fan 34, or a dotted line position whereby air opening 23 is connected to the fan 34.

As has been described, the fan 34 is normally connected to the duct 22 to provide a good draft of air at the opening 18. However, when switch 22 is actuated, a solenoid 39 having a moving armature 41 pivotally c0n nested. to the operating lever. 37 isY energized, to cause the gate 36 to move to the dotted line position shown so that the current of air is manifested at the opening 23.

Means-` are provided. for maintaining a circuit'through the` solenoid 39 fon-a time sufficient tocomplete the folding down operation at the opening 23 after the reversal ofithe partly formedrpackage 15. To this end the operation of thevswitchZZcloses a contact 42 carried thereon which closes a circuit through a holding coil 43 connected across the power leads 26 and 27. The switch button 22 alsocarries a contact 44 closing the circuit through the winding of the solenoid 39.

The winding 43 is o-f a time delay type, and so arranged that the switch contacts 42- and 44 will be released after a certain timeinterval, as desired.

Referring now to Fig. 8 of the drawings, there is shown another embodiment of the invention where the partly prepared package 15 travels in astraight line and is not reversed in its direction to complete the heat sealing operation. In this embodiment of the invention the table 16 has provided therein opening 18 and a first hot plate 2,1, a second air opening 23 and a second hot plate 21a.

As seen in Fig. 8, the partly prepared package 15 has its fiaps 19 partly constrained by spring arms 46 which operate to bear against the sides of the boat and forced the sides of the flap 19 inward.

As the package moves past the opening 18 the fiap 19 thereof will be pulled down into the opening 18, and upon continued movement the flap will be folded beneath the boat 10 to beheat sealed by the hot plate 21.

As the partly completed package 15 moves from the opening 18 to hot plate 21 the switch button 22 is operated to cause the air stream to be manifested at the other opening 23.

After being sealed at the plate 21 the package 15 is turnedy through an angle of 180 at a turntable 47, so that the trailing ap 24 becomes the leading flap to be pulled down at the air opening 23. Upon continued movement of the package flap 24 is folded beneath the boat 10 and heat sealed at the second heating surface 21a. Spring arms 46 bear against the sides of flap 24 to force the sides inward against the boat 10.

As with the embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5, the operation of the switch 22 energizes a time delay holdingcoil 43 which determines the length of time the winding of the solenoid 39 is energized to maintain the gate 36 in the dotted line position shown.

In this embodiment of the invention each of the hot plates 21 and 21a have their heating elements 29 connected across the power leads 26 and 27. The switch 22 is identical in this embodiment of the invention to that shown in Fig. 5.

From a study of the description foregoing it is believed evident that there has been provided a new and useful invention in the art of packaging irregular shaped articles with transparent film material.

While the invention has been described in terms of a number of embodiments thereof its scope is intended to be limited only by the claims here appended.

I claim as my invention:

l. In apparatus for completing the heat sealing of an 'article wrapped in a film of thermoplastic material where such material is initially wrapped about the article and sealed on itself w-ith portions of said material protruding `beyond the end of such article, a table over which said partly wrapped article is moved, an opening in said table adapted to be connected to means for causing air to be entrant at said opening, said protruding portion being adapted to Amove into 1said opening and to fold under as said partly wrapped article moves past said opening, a hot surface in said table surface arranged to heat said folded under portion and seal same against the already sealed film, a switch controlled by movement of said partly wrapped article, a second opening in said table, and means controlled by saidswitch forA connecting said. `second opening to means for causing air to be entrant at said second opening whereby the other protruding portion moves into said opening and is folded under as said partly wrapped article moves past said second opening for further heat sealing.

2. In apparatus for completing the heat sealing of an article wrapped in a film of thermoplastic material where such material is initially wrapped about the article and sealed on itself with portions of said material protruding beyond the end of Such article, a table over which said partly \.'/rapped article is moved, an opening in said table adapted to be connected to means for causing air to be entrant at said opening, said protruding portion being adapted to move into said opening and to fold under as said partly wrapped article moves past said opening, a hot surface in said table surface arranged to heat said folded under portion and seal same against the already sealed film, a switch controlled by movement of said partly wrapped article, a second opening in said table, means controlled by said switch for connecting said second opening to means for causing air to be entrant at said second opening whereby the other protruding portion moves -into said opening and is folded under as said partly wrapped article moves past said second opening for further heat sealing, branching ducts connected to said air means, and a gate operated by said switch for connecting said air means selectively to said openings.

3. In apparatus for completing the heat sealing lof an article wrapped in a film of thermoplastic material where such material is initially wrapped about the article and sealed on itself with portions of said material protruding beyond the end of such article, a table over which said partly wrapped article is moved, an opening in said table adapted to be connected to means for causing air to be entrant at said opening, said protruding portion being adapted to move into said opening and to fold under `as said partly wrapped `article moves past said opening, a hot surface in said table surface arranged to heat said folded under portion and seal same against the already `sealed film, a. switch controlled by further movement of said partly wrapped article, a second opening in said table, means controlled by said switch for connecting said second opening to means for causing air to be entrant at said second opening whereby the other protruding portion moves into said opening and is folded under as said partly wrapped article moves past said second opening for further heat sealing, and means for selectively connecting said air means to said opening, said switch controllingthe operation of said last named means.

4. The `invention defined in claim 3 wherein said switch includes time delay means which determines the time period of operation of said last named means.

5. In apparatus for completing the heat sealing of an article wrapped in thermoplastic'material where such material is initially wrapped about the article and sealed on itself with portions of said material protruding beyond the end of such article, a table over which said partly wrapped article is moved, an opening in said table adapted to be connected to means for causing air to be entrant at said opening, said protruding portion being adapted to move into said opening and to fold under `as said partly wrapped article moves past said opening, a hot surface in said table surface arranged to heat said folded under portion and seal same against the already sealed film, a switch controlled by movement of said partly wrapped article, means for reversing the position of said partly wrapped article with reference to said table, :a second opening in said table, means controlled `by said switch for connecting said second opening to means for causing air to be entrant at said second opening whereby the other protruding portion moves into said opening and is folded under as said partly wrapped article moves past sa-id second opening for further heat sealing, and means for selectively connecting said air means to said-openings, said switch controlling the operation of said last named means.

6. In apparatus for complvtting the heat sealing of an article wrapped in a film of thermoplastic material where 'such material is initially wrapped about the article and sealed on itself with portions of said material protruding beyond the end of such article, a table over which said partly Wrapped article is moved, an opening in said table adapted to be connected to means for causing air to be entrant at said opening, said protruding portion being adapted to move into said opening and to fold under as said partly wrapped article moves past said opening, a hot surface in said table surface arranged to heat said folded under portion and seal same against the already sealed lm, a switch controlled by further movement of said partly wrapped article, means for reversing the position of said partly wrapped article with reference to said table, a second opening in said table, and means controlled by said switch for connecting said second opening to means for causing air to be entrant at said second opening whereby the other protruding portion moves into said opening and is folded under as said partly wrapped article moves past said second opening for further heat sealing.

7. In apparatus for completing the heat sealing of an article wrapped in a film of thermoplastic material where such material is initially wrapped about the article and sealed on itself with portions of said material protruding beyond the end of such article, a table over which said partly wrapped article is moved, an opening in said table adapted to be connected to means for causing air to be entrant at said opening, said protruding portion being adapted to move into said opening and to fold under as said partly wrapped article moves past said opening, a hot surface in said table surface arranged to heat said folded under portion and seal same against the already sealed film, a switch controlled by movement of said partly wrapped article, means for reversing the position of said partly wrapped article with reference to said table, a second opening in said table, means controlled by said switch for connecting said second opening to means for causing air to be entrant at said second opening whereby the other protruding portion moves into said opening and is folded under as said partly wrapped article moves past said second opening for further heat sealing, and guide means for the sides of said partly wrapped article as it moves toward each of said openings to constrain said protruding portions against the sides of said partly wrapped article as it moves toward said opening.

8. In apparatus for completing the heat sealing `of an article wrapped in a lm of thermoplastic material where such material is initially wrapped about the article and sealed on itself with portions of said material protruding beyond the end of such article, a table over which said partly wrapped article is moved, an opening in said table adapted to be connected to means for causing air to be entrant at said opening, guide means urging the sides of said protruding portions against said article as the article moves toward said openings, said protruding portion being adapted to move into said opening and to fold under as said partly wrapped article moves past said opening, a hot surface in said table surface arranged to heat said folded under portion and seal same against the already sealed film, a switch controlled by further movement of said partly wrapped article, a second openv ing in said table, and means controlled by said switch for connecting said second opening to means for causing air to be entrant at said second opening whereby the other protruding portion moves into said opening and is folded under as said partly wrapped article moves past said second opening for further heat sealing.

No references cited. 

